Tag: Angels

Fragment: The Truth About Heaven and Hell

Fragment (Noun)

1. a piece broken off or detached
2. an incomplete piece or portion
3. a scrap, morsel, bit
 
I’m looking to reorganise my blog and start focusing more on the quality of writing hosted here. With this in mind, I’ve come up with some new ideas that I will try and maintain going forward. The concept of a “Fragment” in this case will refer to an incomplete idea or scene that will come to form a larger work, such as a short story or novel. Today’s instance will be the concept for a story I’ve had for awhile, and involves the fallen angel Lucifer explaining the reasoning behind the symbolism of Heaven and Hell and what the real purpose of Hell is.
 
***
 
The duo stood before the hooded man, his golden hair flowing from the ashen hood cloaking his face in darkness. Unsure whether to be afraid, or relieved, Alex cleared his throat as he stared at the faint glow from the man’s long, ivory sword. “Th-Thank you…” He stuttered as he glance down at the savage dog-like demon at the man’s feet. 
 
Drawing back his hood, the man revealed a face fairer than fair, not a mark nor speck of dirt to be seen. His golden hair framed his face as it trailed down his shoulders. “Alexander… it is I, Lucifer.” He shifted uncomfortably as he looked to Alex for any sign his memory may spark back to light. “Do you not recognize your old brother at arms?”
 
Alex blinked a few moments before shaking his head. He looked to his girlfriend who was in awe of the man before her. Brave, handsome, well put together… He turned from her back to Lucifer. “I don’t know who you are… am I supposed to?”
 
A sadness washed over Lucifer’s face as he glanced to the ground. “I was hoping… well, you reminded me of an old friend. We fought together to beat back the demons as Heaven burned around us-“
 
“Heaven? As in the Heaven?” Alex interrupted.
 
“There is no other.” Lucifer stated bluntly. “If you are he, I require your aid.”
 
Alex glanced uncomfortably at the surrounding alley. “What if I was… he? What would you say?” 
 
“I’d tell him the black gates of Hell have fallen.” Lucifer began. “I’d tell him we require his power to beat the demons back from this world, before they reach Heaven again. Before it’s too late.”
 
With a sigh, Alex shrugged to Lucifer. “I wish I was him. I wish I could help you… but I’m just a guy. A guy who couldn’t protect himself and his girlfriend from some rabid dog-“
 
“Hell hound.” Lucifer corrected.
 
“-hell hound… But I’m worthless.” Alex looked down to his feet as he admitted his defeat. Suddenly, Lucifer was standing before him, and his sword had seemingly vanished into thin air. He embraced Alex’s shoulders, one in each hand, and stared him in the eye.
 
“You are worth more than you could ever understand. Even if you aren’t the man I once knew.” Lucifer smiled warmly, a strangely reassuring moment for Alex. “I believe in you. The Gods believe in you. Only you need to believe in you.”
 
Suddenly a torrent of memories and images came flooding back into Alex’s mind as if that phrase were a key. Scenes of dead angels, scenes of hell hounds ripping at flesh, scenes of demons being chased through a large obsidian gate and finally, Alex being gifted by the Arch Angels with a mortal life again.
 
Alex wrestled from Lucifer’s grasp and leaned against a nearby wall as he felt weak. His knees wobbled and his mind felt light. A retch or two later evacuated his stomach of its contents, and he wiped at his mouth with his sleeve. “So many gaps, so many questions…”
 
“I may fill you in.” Lucifer smiled broadly, happy to see his friend back from beyond his reach. “The story is as such. Many millennia ago, there was only the Lord and his three guardians. Myself, Gabriel and Dullahan. The Lord had finally finished his greatest masterpiece in creation, Heaven, and required us all to perform tasks in its function. I was the protector, Gabriel was the watcher and Dullahan was the guide.”
 
“What do you mean protector, watcher and guide? People here believe you’re evil!” Alex interrupted.
 
“In a sense, I am. I fell victim to temptation.” Lucifer swallowed the feelings and pushed on for his friend’s sake. “I fell in love with a newcomer to Heaven, despite having sworn an oath to The Lord. He replaced me with Gabriel and replaced him with Raguel. I walked in shame through Heaven for sometime, as The Lord knew not what to do to punish me, me being one of his chosen.”
 
“After many years, demons began to flood from this world. Evil had risen and a darkness had taken shape while we became consumed with the beauty of Heaven. They came from the depths to sack the Heavens and I lead the charge against them, uniting angels new and old alike. You were one of my recruits then, an angel terrified of himself and what was to come. I told you then to believe in yourself, as I did now, and you rallied with me and lead your own group into battle. Together, you and I beat the demons back from Heaven, back to Earth where war, plague and famine were ravaging the angels of the future. As we pushed them deep into the canyon they had emerged from, we passed through the obsidian gateway into Hell and together you and I helped to close it.”
 
“Then why does everyone think you’re evil, and when they’re bad you go to Hell?” Alex asked innocently enough.
 
“Because you do. Every soul becomes an angel, but if you’ve given into the temptations of the darkness then you are sent to Hell as a guardian. Just as I was. We are the defenders of the world against the demons below. I chose to be considered evil so that others could enjoy the beauty of Heaven.” Lucifer stood tall and proud, as Alex straightened himself back into a standing position.
 
Alex furrowed his brow. “Then why are you here? Isn’t there some Hell to be guarding?”
 
“You’re why I’m here.” Lucifer clarified. “The obsidian gates have fallen, my army overwhelmed. I have failed.”
 
“You need me? But I can barely remember who I am!” Alex proclaimed. “I have a life, a partner!”
 
“Who has left you in the dark alley with a strange man.” Lucifer stated as he pointed in the direction the young lady disappeared into. “I can see her devotion.”
 
“How am I supposed to help?” Alex threw his hands into the air in frustration. “I’m a mortal, this is supposed to be my reward!”
 
“We must find Dullahan. He is why my army fell so fast. Supposedly the great equalizer, and he failed to recruit me more guardians.” Lucifer unfolded a piece of parchment from his pocket. “I have an idea of where he may be hiding.”
 
“I can’t remember anything about Dullahan, who is he exactly?” Alex asked.
 
Lucifer turned from his parchment as he folded it back up and placed it into his pocket. “He’s the Archangel of Death.” As he spread his expansive, black feathered wings, he extended a hand to Alex. “And he’s ignored his duties for far too long.”
 
***
 
I’d love any comments or suggestions about the writing above and the ideas and concepts I’ve introduced! Anyway back to my other story writing and working on the “outline” behind Jefferson & The Eternal Mana (Book 2 of the Circle of Magic Trilogy). Also, what books or events have inspired you folk out there into writing? I’d love to hear about it! 

Everlasting

Dr. Willem Hart. Psychiatrist.

The small stark white business card in my hand feels firm and I lose myself in the bland font gracing its surface. Psychiatrist. I’m not crazy. I think. But something tells me all the crazy people think that too. Frustrated, I toss the card to the small coffee table in front of me. It’s cheap, but it is both my dining table and office desk. The good news is it only adds to the dingy bachelor apartment I’m living in. The lights flicker when anyone flushes a toilet, the wind whistles through the walls and the paint has peeled back to reveal the bricks they had simply covered up. It’s not much; but it’s home.

My eyes stare blankly at the tiny card amid the chaos of dishes and scribbled notes atop the table. I need to talk to someone, but this Dr. Hart? Definitely don’t want to be committed to the asylum again. Almost didn’t make it out of there. My hand betrays me as it snatches the card from the table and also retrieves my wallet. As it opens, my driver’s licence catches my eye. It’s a fake and it has to be.

I stand from my worn leather couch and make my way to the bathroom. Staring into the picture, the world around me vanishes from my thoughts. My mind autopilots me to where I simultaneously want and don’t want to be, in front of the mirror.

The licence shows a girl with beautiful long curly hair, brown in color, she’s smiling and her dark brown eyes shimmer with life. The freckles on her face seemingly dance with joy as she poses for the camera. Who is this girl I wonder? She looks ever so familiar.

My eyes drift from my hands to the mirror before me. The face that reflects back shows no joy. I smile and my teeth don’t shine like the girl in the picture, admittedly it hurts a little. The dark bags beneath my eyes show how worn I feel, luckily my batteries are coffee and adrenaline. The long wavy frizz from my youth has now been traded for the easier to maintain pixie cut. It’s short, it’s manageable and I save a ton of time getting ready in the morning.

Still… the girl in the photo stares up at me, longing to return to the world. But it’s too late for that. I close my eyes and consider why I need to talk to a shrink. The faces of the damned are virtually burned into the underside of my eyelids, so in no time at all I am reminded of why I should make the call.

I return to the couch before I sense any regrets and shuffle around the dishes on the coffee table until the phone finds me. It shimmers like a beacon as its stainless steel glistens in the dim lighting of my apartment.

The lights in the apartment flicker as someone flushes their toilet. I can’t hear it, but I assume it. After making the call, my stomach churns with unease. My eyes wander aimlessly over the piles of clothing, ammo clips, crucifixes until eventually landing on the window. The phone keeps ringing, my stomach all the while doing back flips. The cloudy night sky blocks out the moonlight and the visible buildings from the window are mostly cast in darkness. Finally, a voice breaks the monotony of shrill ringing.

“Excuse me, but do you have any idea what time it is?” The disgruntled and congested sounding voice on the other end sounds none too pleased.

My hesitation coaxes me to look at the clock, which reads roughly quarter past four. “I-I’m sorry. I’ll call back another time.” Regret passes over me and my stomach knots immediately.

“Wait- who is this?” Concern reverberates through the phone.

“My name is Alex, we met on the train.” My voice shook, why was I so nervous about this?

After some brief shuffling, the doctor continues. “Oh yes, I remember. Yes, we should meet. Meet me at the address on the card?”

“Of course. See you then.” Tossing the phone aside my stomach finally begins to relax. He was awfully eager to meet up, I wonder if he could sense something was wrong with me from our first encounter?

I rise from the couch and head over to a pile of clothes, plucking a few choice ones out and smelling them. Fresh. Not so fresh. I hate doing laundry. Finally I settle on a collared sweater with alternating large horizontal black and grey stripes on it, teamed with a pair of dark blue jeans. They’re not skin tight, but lose enough to move in. Never understood why some people wear pants that are skin tight. I slip into the one pair of shoes I have, black lace up dress shoes. I may or nay not have picked them out of the bargain bin, and they may or may not be men’s shoes. I lean near the window and feel the cold seeping in. It’s jacket weather, so I grab one from the coat rack beside the door. It happens to be my favourite, leather and next to no pockets. I grab my keys and wallet and start off when something stops me dead in my tracks.

Do I bring a gun, or not?

Glancing back to the coffee table, the grip of my pistol peeks out from under some papers. It begs me to take it along for the ride and I decide what the hell. I check to ensure it is loaded and put it in the homemade holster built into this jacket.

The trip downtown is a rough thirty minute ride, but my mind is elsewhere. I sit in a car similar to the one where the doctor handed me his card. It flips between my nervous fingers as my mind considers what I could have said or done to have provoked his giving me the card. I remember sitting there and relaxing, then suddenly he turned and said if I ever needed anyone to talk to he was a call away. The card changed from his hands to mine and he vanished into the crowd at the next stop. I glance around the graffiti filled cabin and my mind fixates on a number, etched into the seat across from me.

Triple six. The number of the beast.

If I had been a fan of metal, I’m sure a number of songs would come to mind. Unfortunately, my mind goes elsewhere. It goes to the hour before I got on the train and met the doctor.

***

A terribly fake wooden door stood before me, the number thirty six in inch tall golden numbers and a peep hole were the only things of interest upon it. Knocking upon the door with my left hand, I readied myself. My right hand slid impatiently over the holstered pistol’s grip inside my jacket. The door swung wide, revealing a tall grey faced man with deep dark pits for eyes and teeth sharpened to a point. He spoke first, “Yes-” and then my bullet turned him onto his back. Two others rose from behind his smouldering corpse, a short blue skinned man with horns and red eyes and a taller red skinned man with eyes of fire. My next bullet flipped the shorter man backwards over his chair and the one after that ripped through the drywall beside the red skinned one.

Before I could pull the trigger again, he was upon me and was faster than I could have prepared for. His hand instinctively grabbed the gun, which was both hot from being fired and doused in holy water. He recoiled and my knee gathered the space to his jaw. He toppled backwards in shock and I grabbed the pistol, locking the hammer back. We sat frozen in that moment, he knew this was his end.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Do it!” The man’s voice was raspy and cold with genuine hatred.

“Why were you here? You escape purgatory and come live in this dump?” Admittedly, the apartment was nicer than mine which by comparison was purgatory.

“We… we wanted freedom. Hell is getting awfully crowded.” His burning eyes seemed almost sad. “Plus, I was there for killing someone in self defence! Wasn’t fair in the slightest!”

Considering his words, I locked onto his gaze, and lost myself in the fire. Demons would say anything to survive, so I wasn’t believing this for a second. Although I was told this by an angel, who may not be the least biased person in the universe. “I’m sorry.” My voice turned cold as if I were someone else entirely. “You were the hit.” The hammer falls and his body collapses into a smouldering heap like the other two.

The walk to the train station was cold and wet, with the rain pouring horizontally instead of coming down. I stopped beneath the shelter and shook with a chill. The rain clung to me, soaking through to my very soul and I began to question why the gods would send a man to hell for defending himself. Was he supposed to just die? In the many years I’d worked among angels and demons, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Angels had a very black and white sense of judgement whereas demons were the grey area in between. Suddenly my mind snaps out its deep thoughts and a man is handing me a card.

***

That must have been it. I was deep in thought about the demon’s final words. Questions kept rising and before I could get another answer, more questions popped up. My trust was waning in the angels, not that demons were gaining it. Suddenly the night sky is above me and I’m standing before a small office building. The card in my hand looks almost identical to the slightly weathered white sign with the doctor’s details on it. When did I get off the train? I shrug to myself and walk up to the door.

Before I have the chance to knock, the doctor greets me. His smile is warm beneath his stubbled chin and cheeks. “Come in Alex.” The black mess of hair atop his head is streaked with grey and barely moves in the early morning breeze. I feel myself hesitate but his calm blue eyes look inviting, albeit tired. I make my way past him as he closes and locks the door. It makes me uneasy, but at the same time I can’t overreact. I’m sure it’s nothing. He rushes past me as I stare at the beautiful images on the walls. One is an archway formed by trees in black and white, while another is a misty lake at sunrise. They are both strangely calming.

“Come Alex, this way please.” He motions into a room and I glance in with caution. The room is a calming light beige color and there is a very stereotypical lounge type couch in the room. A single cozy looking chair sits beside it, with a small table in between. “Well, shall we?” I advance towards the couch and sit on the edge, then slowly turn and lay back. Relaxation creeps up on me and I lose myself until I realize the doctor is sitting at my side.

“Are we comfortable?” He asks the question with such genuine concern I feel compelled to respond. “Yes, of course.”

He clears his throat and adjusts slightly in his chair. “You might be wondering why I gave you my card. Allow me to explain. In all my years as a psychologist, I have never seen anyone deeper in thought than you. I searched your face for some telling sign you needed to talk, but you seemed both torn and lost. Now that we’re past that, is there anywhere you’d like to start?”

His question bursts the dam holding back all the questions of my own. They all flood forth until finally, a single starting point becomes evident.

“I’m a demon hunter employed by the angels in exchange for postponing my death.”

Strangely his demeanour does not change. I suppose this isn’t the strangest thing he’s ever heard.

But this time, it’s true.

The Waiting Game

Within the dimly lit confines of a small office/storage area, I sit begging the last person who was assigned a review of my story to complete it. It has been three days now since I made the decision to try publishing my short story. It sounds great, and I am beyond excited at this point. Why wouldn’t I be? I’ll just make a dollar eBook, and see if I can get noticed while I work on my novel. The goal was twenty individual reviews and critiques of my story before I begin the process of cleaning up the formatting for an eBook. This entire experience will be invaluable for when I eventually complete my novel. However, one thing is holding me back. It’s not me, nor anything overly technical… but it is out of my control.

This one jerk, most likely sitting in their mom’s basement, is apparently too busy to give my story a look. In a sense, it almost feels as if fate itself is telling me something: I’m not ready. I feel ready though, I mean the short story has come a long way. I’ve managed an average rating of just over eight out of ten, which for my first foray into the public domain, feels incredible! But as my beard grows thick while I wait, my patience grows thin. Who is this mystery person who is keeping me waiting? I’ll bet when they do eventually get around to it, they’ll toss out a generic score of six and give me all one line responses and no constructive criticism. It will make my day.

Then, I will destroy them.

For now though, I wait patiently. Like the hen on her eggs, I will wait until the time is right. I made this deal with the universe, the least I can do is abide by it. Damn universe… grumble, grumble… In the meantime I’ve been writing thousands of words! Last night the only thing that made me stop was exhaustion! Which doesn’t exactly sound good, but my muse had grabbed me by the hand and lead me into the seedy underbelly of Cope Dia City. I found a character I had briefly written about in another story, in the middle of a new one. So now he needs to raise $100K before the man he dealt with decides to take his house and life from him. Guess that’s what happens when an assassin needs a loan.

The novel has been going well too. I’ve pretty much got four stories on the go at the moment, plus I try and write in one blog or another at least once a week. The only problem is one of my on going story ideas is rising up with more scenes popping into my head on a regular basis. If you’re a writer, you know what I mean. If you’re not… well, thanks for coming by and supporting me first of all! Secondly, a scene flash could be anything from a piece of dialogue which drives a whole scene or a simple pose that ignites a creative fire. The latest idea has grown from a simple idea, into a raging inferno.

It may consume me.

I may let it.

The idea centered around the Lord of the Heavens deciding it was time for his resurrection. Every time the Lord returns to the world as a spirit, the world showcases the issues through whatever way is most effective. This isn’t the first time, in fact the Lord has fallen to the world quite a few times. The time line is a bit hazy now, but as of right now I am dealing with different factions and how their leaders interact. Each leader is only trying to make everything better for everyone involved. The world is plunging into chaos as people are roaming, killing, conquering and pillaging. The Lord does not understand why his creations have fallen so far from their intended existence, and decides to return. Unlike his last appearance as Jesus, The Lord appears in the body of a twelve year old girl. The world thrusts The Lord into the eyes of a child and forces her to endure many hardships by resurrecting her alone and orphaned.

The other factions begin their planning. Gabriel is left in charge of the Kingdom of Heaven once again, and he feels strongly that it is now or never. If the Dragons, Celestials and Infernals were all granted immortality, why shouldn’t the humans? After all, The Lord granted immortality to his protectors among men, The Templar. He decides to visit Lucifer at the gates of Hell, and they discuss their plan to find The Lord while he is in his weakened state, and kill him.

The Templar Immortals catch word of a star appearing in the sky for only one night, and they begin their hunt for The Lord. They were granted immortality for their efforts in spreading his words throughout history and for staying true to themselves. They would be the first to find the girl, and Mary takes her into protection until she learns what she needs to for her return to the heavens. Mary’s interactions with Gabriel are most unpleasant as Gabriel considers them weak and feeble, despite The Lord’s favor upon them.

The Infernals are a neutral force, mostly in favor of their own lord Satariel and his brothers. They are the embodiment of Chaos and are brought into an alliance with the celestials to help hunt The Lord. After their eternal imprisonment, they make a pact with Gabriel for their freedom to walk the world but Gabriel and Lucifer force Satariel to agree never to march on the Kingdom of Heaven. They bind the agreement with their souls and the hunt begins.

The dragons are the most ancient of beings. The Lord was a dragon originally, and shaped the world in memory of his own birth from an egg. He populated it with dragons of all sorts, and upon the realisation of his duties as a creator, he left Bahamut and his family, Tiamat, Yahweh and Vrtra, to rule the world. The dragons became violent and began fighting over petty things such as land, scenery and eventually food. As dragons began killing each other, The Lord returned to them and realised they were lonely and unchallenged. Thus, he created humans.

Eventually humans began to evolve and survive alongside the dragons, and a new harmony was achieved. The humans however, were expanding at an alarming rate, and began to cut into the other food sources. Finally, dragons descended upon them as prey and humans began to hunt them in return. As The Lord returned to the earth, he came in the form of an angel to aid the men against their fearsome foes. As The Lord realised the humans were small and fragile compared to the larger and wiser dragons, he created the celestials to aid in the battles against them. Together humans and celestials drove the dragons from earth and they descended into an eternal slumber on a planet away from the reach of humans.

Until now.

The dragons in their ancient wisdom realise the malicious intent of the celestials descending upon earth. Bahamut with his all seeing eyes, rallies the dragons to return to their home for the first time in many millennia. As angels and demons hunt The Lord who is protected by the Templars and dragons descend upon the world from the stars, will The Lord learn the next lesson in time to save himself and his most treasured creations?

Who knows?

It’s late/early and I should sleep/collapse. Let me know what you think of that idea!

Final Note: I still await the next review…

The Creator

First and foremost I want to give people more time to vote on my short story ideas so this is a filler piece. (PS- Go to Episodic Content or the poll to vote!) This piece is also just an idea I thought up overnight, and has no parallel with my beliefs or morals. For the readers out there, please take this kindly and as a piece of fiction, enjoy!

 

**********************************************************************
A fireman rushes into a house to save a boy trapped in his room. This fireman has tempted fate so many times, but he never leaves anyone in the house. Gabriel Cairns has always been a man of action and heroism. As he rushes though the flames, he doesn’t feel the heat, doesn’t hear the wood charring all around him. All he can hear are the screams of a scared little boy. He rushes up the stairs, as if ascending from hell itself, and bursts onto the second floor. The wood creaks and groans around him, but he finds the boy’s voice. He kicks in the door and see’s the boy huddled in a corner, beneath his blanket. “It’s alright, everything will be fine.” As he picks the boy up, he hears the stairs collapse from where he had just been. “Guys, I need a team to pick this kid up on the right side, over.” “We’re already there.” As Gabriel opens the window, he looks down to see the kid’s parents and his team. He turns to look at the child. “You ready kiddo?” The boy nods and Gabriel wraps the blanket around the boy. “I’m going to lower you down to them, so you hold onto this blanket for dear life, ok?” The boy nods as Gabriel ties it below his arms, just in case. As he lowers the boy, the house groans in agony as if to urge him to hurry. Finally the boy rests safely in the arms of his parents and Gabriel takes a moment to relax. The house gives up the fight in that instant and collapses inward on itself.
When Gabriel opens his eyes, he assumes he’s at the hospital. The all white room feels extremely sterile, the light above him shines directly into his eyes. As he sits up, brushing the light to the side, he realises that this is no ordinary room. A small tabby kitten looks up at him from the floor. As Gabriel drops from the bed to pick it up, the kitten bolts to the door and looks back at him playfully. Gabriel is unnerved by the whole situation, but feels compelled to follow the little tabby out of the room. As he walks toward the door, the hallway seems to grow ever so bright, almost unbearable.
“Hello Gabriel Cairns, I’ve been waiting to meet you.” When his eyes finally adjust, Gabriel is standing in what looks like an extremely sterile white office. With only two chairs and a small table in the room, Gabriel’s gaze is drawn to the sharply dressed man in the suit and tie in the chair beyond the table. “Who are…” Gabriel changes his mind, mid thought. “Am I dead?” The man at the table fixes his tie and raises his hand to the chair across from him. “Please Gabriel, have a seat.” Gabriel looks around confused and startled. Am I really dead? Suddenly a voice answers his thought, the voice of the man at the table. Sadly yes Gabriel, now please, take a seat. We have much to discuss.
Gabriel eventually calms down enough to sit in the chair and stares across at the man in the suit. “Did you just read my mind?” Snickering, the man shakes his head. “I could have if need be, however I read your body language. I know you better than anyone, even your own wife.” Gabriel slouches in despair. My wife… The man realizes what he just did and lowers his head. “I’m sorry, my apologies.” After a brief moment of silence, the man begins again. “You’re probably wondering where you are, and who I am correct?” Gabriel stares at him blankly. “I’m dead, this is heaven, and you’re god.” The man looks shocked and looks himself up and down. “I am hardly a god, let alone the God. This is not heaven either I’m afraid. In fact, there is no God.” Gabriel looks up at him. “Then where are we?” The man smiles. “Now I’ve piqued your curiosity.”
The man straightens up in his chair and fixes his tie once again. “Gabriel Evan Cairns, I am your creator, Edward. I have been watching over you since you were an instant of passion between your parents.” He extends his hand  for Gabriel. “It is an honour to finally meet you.” Gabriel straightens up in his chair and stares at Edward’s hand. “Why couldn’t you have saved me?” Edward frowns a bit and nods. “I understand your frustration, but every creator gets but a few chances to aid the people they watch over. I used yours early on.” Gabriel looks him in the eye. “Early on? Like when I was younger?” Edward perks up. “Precisely! Remember when you saved Emily’s puppy from that car?” Gabriel thought back and thought back hard. “I was five, and I rushed into traffic to save the poor thing. He was chasing a plastic bag.” Edward nods. “The driver wasn’t paying attention, and I was able to snap him back to reality and he swerved, narrowly avoiding you.”
Gabriel was impressed, however he was still dead. Nothing could bring him back. “How many times can you intervene?” Edward looked down at the table. “To avoid death, only once. To avoid injury about ten times.” Gabriel smiled. “Well that explains why I’ve been slowly becoming less and less invincible over time and much more prone to accidents.” Edward nodded and fixed his tie. “Would you mind if I remove my tie? I’m not used to wearing one.” Gabriel nodded in approval. After removing his tie, Edward felt more casual already. “Gabriel, you must have some questions for me first before we discuss where we are. So feel free to ask away.” Gabriel thought long and hard, suddenly a great one came to him.
“Why are you called a creator?” Gabriel leaned in, much more interested now that he was resigning to his fate. Edward grinned and leaned forward. “I am called a creator, but back in the mortal world, we’re called Guardian Angels. Some of us care more than others. We are supposed to watch over and protect the beings who are brought into the world. We shape who you are and that thing you call a conscience is actually a creator’s nudge, if you’ve got a good one. Gut feelings? Those are our department as well.” Edward paused to ensure Gabriel was still paying attention and to his delight Gabriel returned with a question. “What if you were a bad creator?” Edward sighed. “Bad creators put their people on auto pilot and it’s amazing how long some people can survive without guidance.” Gabriel shook his head in confusion. “Auto pilot?”
Edward smiled politely and played with his tie on the table in front of him. “Some creators, most creators actually, want people to succeed and eventually get here to meet them face to face. It is without a doubt the greatest day of my secondary existence here and I still have a young lady who will meet me down the road.” Still fidgeting with his tie, he continued on. “Like most jobs, some people don’t want to pull their weight or just do the bare minimum to get by. These creators have a few options available to them. They can place them on a predetermined path, such as guiding them to an already established religion or allowing them to be push overs and adapting to those around them.” Gabriel leaned in. “Then what of me? What have I become? I believed in God, I thought that’s why I was here, I thought this was heaven!” As Gabriel’s rage grew, Edward stood and looked at him. “You believed in a god. You thought I was god. You’re not entirely wrong, and this is your heaven.” Gabriel sat back stunned by the news.
Edward gave Gabriel a few moments to gather his thoughts and started again. “I pointed you toward religion. Religion has an incredible sense of belonging and an amazing set of basic morals and values you needed through life. You always put others before yourself, even playful puppies chasing plastic bags.” As they shared a quick laugh, Edward got to his point. “Religion isn’t about God, it’s about the belief in the moral code and values that is sustained. You never once believed someone created the world, you were far too involved in the sciences through school to have allowed yourself to consider that. But you believed in the higher power, something to believe in and something to give yourself strength and faith as time went on.” Gabriel smiled and leaned back in, his interest returning over his anger. “But how is that any different from being on auto pilot?” Edward nodded. “Good question, those on auto pilot go through the motions, but as they’re never checked up on, some lead horrific lives which could have been avoided.”
Edward paused for a few moments, trying to consider a bad auto pilot example. “I can’t think of any of the top of my head, but not all auto pilot people turn out bad. This is because there are about eighty five percent more good creators than lazy ones. When someone is a good influence on another, they have been indirectly helped by a creator.” Gabriel seemed deep in thought, but still attentive, so Edward continued. “Remember that apartment fire you were first on the scene for? That poor girl who was trapped in the burning room?” Gabriel looked up. He definitely remembered her. The poor girl was only about thirteen years old and she looked terrified. Edward leaned his head to the side, cracking his neck. “That girl was seriously headed down the wrong path. She had no influences around her and unfortunately her parents were both watched by lazy creators. Did they ever find out what started that fire Gabriel?” He thought hard, but Gabriel didn’t think that they had. “They never did, and if they had, that girl would have been in a ward somewhere. She had microwaved her neighbour’s cat, and the poor thing burst into flames. The girl knew what she had done was wrong and did not want to call for help. Lucky for her, you saved her and the microwave and most of the kitchen burned to nothing.”
Gabriel looked at Edward and dropped his head in shame. “Great I saved a cat killer. Next you’ll tell me I saved a rapist.” Edward half laughed and then realized it was an inappropriate time. “No no, you haven’t heard the point. You influenced her. Your selfless act of rushing in with no gear on, just a soaking wet comforter, really left an impression on her. She is now a part of the fire brigade in another city where her and her husband have two incredibly well behaved and well watched over children.” Gabriel smiled and straightened up. “I did that?” Edward nodded. “The good creators can only affect those less fortunate through those we watch over. When you had your bad feeling that it wasn’t just a small kitchen fire, I was urging you to help. Even knowing what I knew about that girl.” Gabriel nodded. “That’s fair.”
Gabriel stood up and stretched. “So if this isn’t heaven, where are we?” Edward looked at him and nodded. “Yes, I think you’re ready.” The wall behind him melted away and revealed a beautiful world seemingly just like his own. “This is it?” Edward laughed at Gabriel’s reaction and patted him on the shoulder. “This is where everyone who is not evil is, in a sense it’s heaven and also limbo. You see those who don’t believe in a god will get here too, so long as they still obey the laws and rules and basic courtesies.” As they stared out at the world Edward looked to Gabriel with a very approving smile. “The exceptionally good, they become creators, sometimes they don’t work out but for the most part they do. That is what I’m offering you. You have been remarkable in your presence in the world, and you have done so much good for others that so long as you remain an amazing creator, you will be allowed to stay here. No bills, no worries, just good times. Creators work on two lives at a time and then we are given two lives off.” Gabriel turned to him. “You mean like you are responsible for me and the other girl you mentioned and then are paired with another two that someone else governs?” Edward nodded. “Exactly.”
As they walked among the others in the world Gabriel was stunned by the beauty of it all. “So what about the people who aren’t creators?” Edward stared straight forward, smiling at people as they passed. “They get a single lifetime here, one hundred years of whenever they were happiest in their lives. Then after their time is up, they are placed back down upon the earth for another lifetime there. The end goal is for everyone to become a creator.” Gabriel looked away from Edward and nodded in approval of the answer he received. “And those who are evil?” Edward continued staring ahead. “Those who do not make it here, are watched over for a thousand years of torment among their peers. Only the creators who have been here for many millennia take turns watching over them. After their time there, they are also placed back into the world for their second chance.”
Gabriel stopped and stared at a huge statue of a being with no determinable features. Edward leaned in. “If there must be a god, that would be it. Although they were the only one, they had been a birth defect of a pair of gorillas. Left to their own devices the beings that watched over the gorillas much like we watch over you, refused to take responsibility for it. Then, the being found it could reproduce and had two children. One with male organs, and one with female organs. Essentially, Adam and Eve, except not as kind a telling as the churches make it out to be. The parent of both of them watched them, raised them into adulthood and died of disease. As time went on that being watched over it’s family until finally its family joined them here. Ever since then those people watched their ancestors and helped create this place to match the times for the newcomers.”
Edward turned to Gabriel and took his hands. “Gabriel, will you take up the watch and guide others as you have been guided as a creator?” Gabriel smiled and nodded. “I’d be honoured. I spent my entire life saving others, might as well spend my time here doing it too.” Edward nodded. “Then it shall be so. You will be trained by me and you will help me with the people I watch over. After I leave, you will enter the cycle.” Gabriel nodded, but then appeared rather sad. Edward noticed, and brought him to another office. “Gabriel, this is where we can see our loved ones. We cannot speak with them or guide them as a creator, however it allows us to keep those bonds until they arrive here with us.” Gabriel turned to Edward who had extended his hand for a hand shake. Gabriel shook his head. “If you knew me at all, you’d know I was more of a hug kind of guy.” As Edward hugged Gabriel he felt himself even more at peace. He had finally achieved his own redemption.